


Last Ones Standing

by AshleyTrecartin



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Horror, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-01-21 19:04:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1560809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshleyTrecartin/pseuds/AshleyTrecartin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beth and Daryl are the only ones to make it out of the prison fight. How are they going to cope? How are they going to keep going? Will they manage to find love in each other after everything?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 1

Tears streamed down Beth’s face, partly from what was going on around her, partly from the smoke the billowed from the guard tower on fire. She’d watched her daddy’s head get cut off. She’d fired on people, killing them as they fired back. When she’d run out of bullets she’d run of, trying to get people on the bus. When Maggie had left to get Glenn she’d left the bus, trying to find the kids. She couldn’t find them anywhere. She heard the bus take off and stood, frozen in horror as the tank shot at it and blew it up. Maggie and Glenn, Sasha, everyone with it. She watched Tyreese and Bob get shot before being swamped by walkers. She screamed when she saw Rick get shot by the governor, broke down and collapsed on the ground when she saw the empty car seat. Went numb when she saw Carl’s lifeless body.

They were all dead, all of them. “Beth!” She looked up; her heart stopping in her chest when Daryl stopped beside of her ad picked her up. “We gotta go, Beth.” He took her hand and pulled her over to his bike. She climbed on after him, holding onto him tight as they were still being shot at. He drove away from all of the carnage, all of the death. She kept her head buried in his back as she held on tight and cried. They couldn’t all be dead. They couldn’t be the last ones standing. They just couldn’t be. 

Daryl drove four hours, until the bike ran out of gas and they were forced to stop. Beth hoped they were out of the clear, hoped no one followed them from the prison. She numbly let go and slowly climbed off the bike. Her limbs numb and stiff. She wanted to crawl into a hole and just cry. They couldn’t do that though. They needed to get a fire started. They needed shelter. For the night they’d have to sleep in one of the cars sitting on the side of the road. Neither one of them said anything as they started to collect wood and bits of the cars, anything they could find, anything that might be helpful later on. 

She pushed everything away as Daryl built a fire. “Gonna go hunt,” he told her quietly, leaving his knife for her as he walked off into the woods on the side of the road. Beth wanted to cry, wanted to mourn everyone she’d lost. Her daddy, Maggie, Rick, Judith… She couldn’t. She tried to cry while Daryl was gone, tried to get the emotions and the depression out, but she just couldn’t. She was numb to everything. There was nothing left anymore. 

When Daryl came back with two squirrels he quickly skinned and cleaned them, skewering them for the fire Beth had kept going. They ate in silence and snuffed out the fire. Neither of them said a word as they climbed into the car and shut the doors, tying them closed. Daryl was reclined back in the driver’s seat while Beth was curled up on the back. As the night dragged on, the numbness started to leave and the tears started. She sobbed into the dirty seat, trying not to wake Daryl up.

But he hadn’t been asleep at all. He didn’t say anything. He sat up slowly and helped Beth into the front, pulling her close against him and held her. They both needed this. Both needed the comfort after they’d lost everyone. She cried herself to sleep in his arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 2

Beth sat there, watching Daryl eat the snake he’d caught earlier. She knew he was just about where she was. There was nothing left, no one left. Just the two of them. They’d seen Carol as they were leaving…she’d come back and she’d gotten swarmed by walkers. No one was left. They were all dead. It was just the two of them. They were the last ones standing and Beth needed something to do. She needed a job, she knew if she had something, if she had a goal, if she had something to get done maybe the numbness would go away. She looked over at Daryl. “I want a drink.” He tossed a water bottle at her but didn’t say anything, just kept eating his stupid mud snake. Beth shook her head even though he wasn’t paying attention. “No, Daryl I want a real drink.” She got up and walked over to him. “I need something to do. I need a job. I can’t stay here in this camp anymore. I’m going to fall apart and we can’t do that. Not anymore.” He slowly looked up at her. “You can either come with me, or you can stay here, but I’m going to find some alcohol.” She grabbed her knife from the log it had been sitting in and walked out of camp. It only took five minutes for Daryl to follow her. 

“Why a drink?” he asked quietly as they made their way through the woods. 

Beth sighed a little. “I’ve never had one.” She looked at him. “After I saw what alcohol did to my mom and dad…I just couldn’t. But they’re gone. Everyone’s gone.” She looked at the ground. “I want one, and it’s something I need to do for me.” She looked up at him. “I know it probably sounds stupid, and it probably is stupid, but…I need something to do.”

He sighed and nodded his head a little. “I get it.” She nodded her head. They were silent for hours until they came to a little shack. “Michonne and I found this place,” he told her as he walked over to a small shed beside the house. Beth hadn’t realized he’d been leading them to it. He opened the door and pulled out a crate with jars of clear liquid.

“What is it?” Beth asked as he handed her the crate and walked to the house. She followed him. 

“Moonshine.” Beth sighed a little and followed him into the house. He looked around for walkers, banged on the door to draw any out, but the house was silent. Beth carried the crate to the table and set it down. Daryl cleaned out a glass the best he could and poured a little into it. “That’s a real first drink,” he told her, setting the glass down in front of her. 

Beth looked at it a little warily, but picked it up and took a sip. It was strong, bitter and burning as she swallowed it. “That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted.” She didn’t miss the slight smirk on Daryl’s face as she took another sip. “Not so bad the second time.” She finished what was in the glass and grabbed the jar, pouring some more. 

“Better take it easy,” Daryl told her, looking around for something he could secure the place with. 

“This one’s for you,” she told him. 

“Nah, I’m good.”

Beth shook her head and held the glass out to him. “Don’t make me drink alone.” Daryl sighed and took the jar, pouring a little more into her glass before sitting across from her at the table. They drank for a while before Beth got sick of the silence. She needed to talk. “You wanna play a drinking game?” she asked. 

“What kind?”

“Never Have I Ever. I watched a couple of friends play it.” 

“Don’t know how.”

“I’ll teach you.” Beth smiled and refilled her glass, handing Daryl a new jar of shine. She explained the rules and smiled. Everything was going great, until she made the mistake of mentioning jail. Everything exploded from there. Daryl got mad; she wanted to believe it was just the alcohol and the emotions of everything that had happened that she was just his outlet. When his yelling attracted a walker he forced her outside. “Daryl stop!” She tired reasoning with him as he pulled her against him and shot at the walker, not killing it. When he went to get his arrows and pull them out for more practice she ran up and killed the walker. “Killing them is not supposed to be fun,” she yelled at him. “If anyone found daddy, or Maggie—”

“That ain’t even remotely the same,” he snapped. 

“It is!”

“What do you want from me, girl? Huh?”

Beth was pissed off. She was angry. “I want you to act like you give a damn. They’re all dead, I get that. But we’re not. We’re still here.” She shook her head. “Why can’t you get that?”

“We’re as good as dead.”

She shook her head. “No. You just think we are.” She glared at him. “I know you look at me and you just see another dead girl, but I’m not. I’m alive, and I’m going to keep fighting.” She narrowed her eyes on him. “And I’m not going to let you give up.”

Daryl broke down then. He turned away from her, tears falling from his eyes as the emotions took over. He was blaming himself for losing everyone. “If I wouldn’t have given up, if I would have kept looking…your dad…Rick…they’d still be alive.” Beth wrapped her arms around him, pressing against his back and holding onto him, her own tears spilling out. Daryl wrapped his arms around both of them as they stood there. 

Once they had both calmed down, they each grabbed a jar of shine and walked to the porch, sitting there as the sun went down. “I know why daddy quit drinking,” she whispered, looking out towards the woods. 

“You feel sick?” he asked, awkwardly playing with his knife. 

Beth shook her head, smiling and looking at him. “No, I wish I could feel like this all of the time.” She sighed a little and looked at Daryl. “You know, despite how you feel, you’re going to be the last man standing.” She smiled a little when he shook his head. “You are. You were made for this, if anyone is going to make it to the end. It’s you.” He looked away from her. She knew it was cruel to say that, but it was the truth. “I’ll be gone one day.”

“Stop,” he pleaded, looking at her, his eyes flashing with something she would have blushed at if she was sober. 

“I will be though.” She smiled, looking at him, staring him in the eyes. “You’re going to miss me so bad when I’m gone, Daryl Dixon.”

“You’re not a happy drunk at all,” he muttered, looking at his lap. 

“No, I’m happy, can’t stop smiling. I’m just not blind.” She looked around and sighed. Daryl started to talk again, not wanting the silence. She told him what had happened before, what he’d been doing. He told her how he felt about himself. She told him that wasn’t it at all, that he had to let the past go or it was going to kill him. She smiled a little, looking at him. “We should burn it down.”

She watched him get up and grab his jar of moonshine. “We’re gonna need more alcohol.” He helped her up and they went inside, soaking the place with moonshine. When they were outside, he handed her the matched. “You wanna?”

“Hell yeah.” Beth struck the match and lit the money he was holding towards her on fire. She watched him toss it into the house and the blaze started, lighting the night. As they walked away, Beth knew, deep inside, that they were a little closer now, that things were going to get a little bit better. They might be the last ones standing, but they were going to be okay, as long as they had each other.


	3. Chapter 3

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 3

Beth adjusted the crossbow in her arms as she carefully followed the tracks she’d picked up. She was getting pretty good at this tracking thing. She was surprised Daryl was willing to teach her. After the huge blow up they’d had things had changed drastically between them, he was being nicer to her. “What are we tracking?” she asked, looking down at the footprints. 

“You’re the one who wanted to learn,” he huffed out. “You tell me.”

Beth frowned a little and looked closer. “It’s a walker; the tracks are all over the place.” 

“Could be a drunk,” he teased. 

Beth rolled her eyes and followed the tracks. Soon enough they happened upon the walker. She turned around to ask Daryl if she should put it down or not. He nodded his head, it was just the one, she could handle it. Beth slowly started to inch forward, she knew the bow could reach from where they’d been standing, but she wasn’t as good with it as Daryl was. She wanted to make sure she killed it, not alerted it to their presence. That plan went down the drain when she stepped on a trap and it closed around the hell of her boot. Beth grunted as she hit the ground. The walker turned around, heading for her. She heard Daryl run out from where he’d been hiding but she took the shot. She’d missed the head.

Daryl quickly grabbed the crossbow from her and hit the walker hard in the head, killing it. He dropped the weapons and slid to his knees in front of her, quickly pulling the trap off of her boot. “Can you move it?” he asked, gently rolling it in his hand. Beth couldn’t help the blush on her face. 

“Yeah, I think it’s just sprained,” she answered. Daryl helped her up and grabbed his bow before letting her rest most of her weight on him and she couldn’t get the blush on her face or the butterflies in her tummy to go away. 

“Guess we should find somewhere to hold up for a while,” he said as they made their way through the woods. Beth felt bad that she was being such an inconvenience, but if it bothered him he never let it show. Soon enough they found a small mortuary, but Beth needed a break, her ankle was killing her. 

“Daryl, hold up a sec,” she said, letting go of him and resting all of her weight on her good ankle. 

He stopped and looked at her. “You okay?” he asked. The concern in her voice sent the butterflies going again. 

“Yeah, I just, I need to sit for a minute.”

“Alright.” He pulled his crossbow across his chest and crouched down. “Hop on.”

Beth stared at him for a minute. “Are you serious?” She didn’t know whether to laugh or swoon. 

“Yeah, it’s a serious piggyback, now hop on.” Beth smiled a little and jumped onto his back, ignoring is comment about her weight; she had a lot of gear on her. He started towards the building, but when they passed the grave stones, she tapped his shoulder and made him stop. She stared at the grave of a father, wishing like hell her daddy was still around, or that they could have at least buried him. She forced back the tears as Daryl put flowers on top of the grave. Beth didn’t know how he was going to react, but she reached out and laced her fingers with him. They were both still hurting over the loss of everyone they knew, but this one hurt her the most. He wrapped his fingers into hers and let her stand there as long as she needed. When she was finally ready, he got her back on her back and carried her into the house. 

They were both nervous about what was going to happen when the owners—or whoever was living there—came back, but for the time being, they decided to relax and enjoy the safety. “I’m going to go hang up some noise traps,” he told her after they’d finished eating. 

“Do you want help?” she asked, she felt bad that she wasn’t doing much. 

He shook his head. “Nah, rest your ankle, I’ll be right outside.” Beth sighed but nodded her head. After he’d left she decided to look around. She knew Daryl didn’t like her singing, but she figured if he was outside he wouldn’t mind so much. She hobbled her way over to the piano in the viewing room and sat down, lifting the cover. It had been so long since she played, she wasn’t sure her fingers remembered. But soon enough, she was playing a soft tune, her hands and fingers fitting back into the pattern like she’d played yesterday. 

She hadn’t heard him come in. She watched him walk over to the coffin, more than a little embarrassed. She didn’t want him to be mad at her again, that had been horrible. “Why don’t you keep playing? Keep singing?”

She smiled a little. “I thought my singing annoyed you?”

He shrugged his shoulders, getting comfortable. “Well, there ain’t no juke box.” Beth smiled and turned back to the keys, picking up where she’d left off. She could feel his eyes on her as she played and sang and she tried not to blush. Something was changing inside of her; Daryl was doing something to her. She knew what it was; she was old enough to know what was happening. She just wished it didn’t kill her. There was no way he’d ever feel the same. Not towards her. 

…

“Daryl, I’m going as fast as I can,” she told him, limping in front of him. 

“Ain’t fast enough.” He smirked and picked her up, causing her to laugh and hell it was music to his ears. He carried her into the kitchen where he’d already set out some food for them. “Here we go,” he said, gently setting her into the chair. He sat across from her and started to eat. She just kept smiling as she ate her own food. He hated to admit it, but he was falling in love with Beth Greene. It was hard not to. She was so damn optimistic, especially after everything that had happened to them. He didn’t know how she did it. They both jumped, hearing the cans rustle outside. “Stay here,” he told her getting up and walking to the door, his crossbow in his hand. 

He peeked through the blinds and frowned when he didn’t see anything. Slowly he opened the door and looked down at the one-eyed dog sitting there. “Daryl?” Beth called from the kitchen. 

“It’s just a damn dog,” he answered, crouching down and reaching out his hand. “Hey there,” he said softly. The dog barked and ran off. Daryl huffed and stood up slowly. He really was a cat person. He closed the door and turned around to start walking back when he saw Beth limping out of the kitchen. “I told you to stay there.”

She smiled, her eyes lighting up. “Yeah, but Daryl, you said there was a dog.”

He sighed. She really was too damn optimistic for her own good. “Maybe it’ll come back,” he said, turning her around. “C’mon.”

They spent the day talking, just talking, like people used to do before the world went to hell. The longer they talked, the deeper in love he fell with her. Before they realized it they had to light candles so they could see what they were doing. He watched her pull out her journal and a pen. “I’m going to leave a thank you note,” she told him. 

He frowned a little. He didn’t see why they had to leave. They had everything they could need there. “Maybe you don’t have to leave that,” he said, nodding to the note she was writing. She looked up at him gave him a questioning look. He shrugged his shoulders a little, still eating his jelly. “Maybe we could stay here…if they ever come back,” he shrugged, “we’ll just make it work.”

The smile that danced over her lips and lit up her eyes had him blushing a little. “I knew it, what changed your mind?” she asked. 

Daryl didn’t want to admit it. Admitting it made it too real and he doubted she felt the same. “You know,” he mumbled. 

She shook her head. “Daryl, what changed your mind?” He shrugged his shoulders and hummed and ‘I don’t know’. She wasn’t having it though. She mimicked him. “What changed your mind?” He just stared at her, looking into those storm blue eyes, getting lost. He wanted to tell her, wanted to grab her and kiss her. He didn’t know where this was all coming from. This wasn’t him at all. But she was changing him. He didn’t have to tell her though. He saw the moment she realized it. “Oh,” she said softly. They stared at each other. He was working up the courage to get up and kiss her when the noise trap went off and they heard the dog bark. They both looked towards the door. 

Daryl cleared his throat. “I’m gonna give that mutt one last chance.” He grabbed the pigs feet and headed towards the door. He didn’t bother looking, and that was his mistake. He opened the door, only to be swarmed by walkers. “Beth!” She came around the corner with his crossbow. He caught it when she tossed it to him. “Get your shit, get out,” he told her, leading the walkers through the house and away from her. 

“I’m not leaving you,” she called back. 

“Go to the road, I’ll meet you there.” He led the walkers down stairs. Once they were down there they wouldn’t be able to get back up. He was exhausted after fighting his way out but adrenalin and worry for Beth had him running to the road. He saw her bag, lying on the pavement and looked up as he heard the tired. “Beth!” He started running after the car, his heart breaking as he realized he wasn’t going to catch it. He’d lost everyone, everything he ever cared about, he couldn’t lose her too. He wouldn’t lose her. He’d run until he died if that’s what it took to get her back. 

By the time his body collapsed onto the pavement he started to realize that he was all alone. She’d been right. He was going to be the last man standing. His heart started to hurt. She was gone, and he missed her like hell. He sat there, a broken mess of a man on the ground, wishing like hell he could go back in time and never open that fucking door. He should have ignored the dog, he should have gone to her. He was never going to forgive himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Last Ones Standing   
Chapter 4

Daryl stared into the fire. He hadn’t been hunting, hadn’t really said much. Not in a long time. It had been a week since he’d lost Beth, since he’d lost the last person he loved. The group of men he’d met up with weren’t exactly who he’d wanted to meet up with, but Joe had a point, being in a group was better than to be alone. He didn’t want to be the last man standing, not when she wasn’t with him. He was contemplating breaking away from Joe and his group, looking for Beth again. He knew chances were slim that she was still alive, but he had to try. If he didn’t have Beth…he wasn’t going to make it.

Daryl was working out a plan when Joe came back into camp, carrying a body over his shoulder. “Look at what I found boys.” He gently put her down and Daryl’s eyes widened. 

“Is she claimed?” someone asked. 

“N—”

“Claimed.” Daryl got up, not waiting for Joe to finish and walked over, gently picking Beth up. Too much was running through him. She looked a little beaten up but at least he had her again. He ignored the side comments and the looks the others were giving him. He had Beth back, and he was going to keep her safe, no one was going to touch her. He sat back down where he’d been before Joe came back and held her close in his arms, looking her over for bites or scratches. When she didn’t have any he relaxed a little bit. 

He rested his head back against the tree he was leaning against and grabbed the blanket he’d been using and wrapped it around her shoulders. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight again, he couldn’t afford to. If he lost her again he’d lose it, he’d completely give up. He was in love with Beth Greene; he knew he was the second he collapsed onto the road. He wanted to believe that part of it had to do with the fact that she was the only one left, but something in him knew that was wrong. 

Feelings for the blonde in his arms had started to develop before that. She was the one who had taken care of Judith the most and the way he watched her care for that baby when she didn’t have to had started to warm him up to her. They both loved that little girl. But after Zach had died…when she’d hugged him. No one hugged him, not really, no one ever wanted to get that close to him, but Beth…she hadn’t asked, hadn’t shied away, she’d wrapped those tiny arms around him and gave him a hug when he’d needed one. That was when it had stared. 

Then, out here alone together, being the only two left, the fact that she could still be somewhat optimistic, still believe that there were good people left…he’d fallen for her, he was in deep, too deep to get out and now…he wasn’t sure he wanted to get out. 

Beth started to stir in his arms and looked down at her. “Beth?” he asked softly. 

“Wait a minute, you know the bitch?” one of the guys asked. 

Daryl growled at him, drawing his knife. “Call her that again and I’ll slit your throat.” He looked down when he felt her hand cup his face. “Beth?”

She frowned a little, shaking her head. “Are you really here?” she asked. 

“Yeah, I’m right here.” He covered her hand with his. 

Tears fell from her eyes, cutting trails in her dirty face. “I thought you were dead,” she whispered. “I couldn’t handle it, I thought I was alone.” She sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

Daryl rubbed her back and held her close, looking at Joe who was just smirking at them. “I’m here, you’re here, and we got each other.”

“So, how do you two know each other?” Joe asked, crossing his arms. 

“We were together, a part of a bigger group,” Beth answered wiping her eyes and looking around at all of the other men. She shrank in a little closer to Daryl. “We were at a prison and it got attacked…everyone died.” She bit her lip, looking at her lap. “Everyone.”

Daryl kissed her head. “We were the only ones that got out. We were at this morgue and it got swamped by walkers, Beth ran, but she got taken.” He frowned a bit, looking down at her. “How’d you get away?”

Beth bit her lip a little bit. “They uh…they stopped for the night, in some run down shack out in the middle of nowhere.” She shook her head, her brows drawing together. “They were passing around a bottle of alcohol and passed out. They weren’t even paying attention so I ran. I ran until I passed out.”

Daryl sighed and kissed her head, pulling her against him. “You’re not going anywhere ever again.”

Joe nodded his head and looked at them, sighing. “Boys, she’s claimed and I expect you to respect that, because even if Daryl hadn’t claimed her, she’d still be off limits, considerin’ she’s a friend of Daryl’s.”

Daryl nodded his head at Joe, thanking him as he pulled Beth a little closer. As the others went to sleep they stayed up. They had time to make up for. “You were right,” he whispered, running his hands through the ends of her hair. He frowned, gently pulling twigs from it. She was going to want a bath soon. 

“About what?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“I missed you like hell.” She smiled a little and cupped his face, running her hands through his hair. “I ain’t gonna lose you again,” he told her. 

She nodded and smiled. “Never.”

Daryl kissed her head and held her as she curled into him, closing her eyes. He had her back and he wasn’t going to lose her again.


	5. Chapter 5

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 5

Daryl woke up slowly, momentarily forgetting where he was, who he was with. He jackknifed on the blanket he was on top of, shaking Beth awake as she rolled off of him. He sighed and rubbed his face. “I’m sorry,” he told her, leaning down and kissing her head. “Didn’t mean to wake ya.”

She shook her head and pushed a hand through her hair. “S’alright.” She looked around. Everyone else was already awake and packing up camp. “Are we going somewhere?” she asked. 

“Well, that’s what I want to know.” Joe walked over, his hands on his hips as he looked down at them. “You said you were just looking for something better Daryl, you gonna leave now that you got her?” he asked. 

Daryl rested his back against the tree and rubbed his face. He was starting to feel his age; he couldn’t keep sleeping on the ground like this. His joints were not happy with him. He thought about what Joe was asking. He and Beth could take off right now, try to find something better for them, somewhere they could be safe. Maybe they could find another place like the morgue. That place had been safe, stocked, comfortable, until he’d been a dumbass and opened the doors. He knew the likelihood of that happening wasn’t great. Beth still wasn’t one hundred percent yet either. They could use the extra protection of more bodies, even though he didn’t full trust Joe and his men. It was better to stay in a group. He shook his head slowly. “Nah, we’ll tag along a little longer.” He looked up at Joe. “Can’t live without people.”

Joe smiled and nodded his head. “Good, get ready, we’re leaving in about ten.”

Daryl nodded his head and started to pack up, getting his things together. He saw the way Beth eyed Joe as he walked off. “What?” he asked as she helped him. 

She shook her head. “Can we trust them?” she asked. He could see it in her eyes. She was starting to act the way Rick had back after he’d just lost Lori. He hadn’t trusted anyone, hadn’t wanted to let new people into the group, no one he didn’t know because he couldn’t trust them. He wasn’t going to let that happen to Beth. 

He lightly grabbed her chin in his fingers and tilted her head up so she was looking at him. “Do you trust me?” he asked. She nodded her head slowly. “Then that’s enough. I’ll keep you safe.” Beth sighed but nodded her head. Daryl kissed her head and helped her up, his knees cracking as he put his full weight on them. Beth frowned a little and looked at him. “I’m alright. How’s your ankle?”

She shrugged her shoulders, and eased more of her weight onto it. “It’s still a little sore, but I’m okay.” Daryl nodded his head as they started to head out again. He was going to have to keep his eye on her. If she was trying to push herself she could do more damage to it. 

“So, what exactly is going on between you two?” Joe asked, walking beside them as they headed out of the woods. Daryl and Beth looked at each other. They weren’t really sure. Daryl knew he loved Beth, but could he tell her that? Could he say it out loud? Maybe it wasn’t love at all; maybe he was just thinking it was love because she was the only one left, the only one he had left to cling to. “Oh come on,” Joe laughed. “You two act like love sick teenagers, something has to be going on.”

“It’s complicated,” Beth told him. She looked up at him and he just nodded his head. 

“Have ya’ll fucked?” one of the men asked. 

Beth blushed brightly and tucked in her chin, hiding behind her hair, shaking her head slowly. The guy laughed and shook his head as they started to make their way across a field. 

…

Beth sighed and crossed her arms as she walked. Daryl thought she was cold but she just shook her head. She was trying to hold herself together. She felt a fire starting inside of her as she looked around at all of the men in front of her and Daryl. She didn’t trust them, even if Daryl did. She didn’t understand why they didn’t leave, just the two of them. They’d done fine up until the morgue. She stayed close to his side. She’d heard something about a claiming and apparently that made her off limits to the other men, but she didn’t care. This was an apocalypse and they were men who probably hadn’t seen a woman in a long time, so she was staying close to Daryl and kept a hand near her knife at all times. As they crossed the field they came up to a sign beside some train tracks. 

“Terminus?” Daryl asked, reading the sign. 

Joe sighed and shook his head. “It’s a damn lie; there ain’t no sanctuary, not anymore.” The prison had been one, until the governor showed up. Beth thought bitterly. “Still, it’s worth a shot, if they’ve got food.” Joe nodded his head to everyone and they started down the tracks. 

Beth didn’t move, she grabbed Daryl’s hand and waited until the others were far enough away they wouldn’t hear them talking. “We can’t go there,” she told Daryl, looking up at him. 

“Why not?” Slowly they started walking again. 

Beth shook her head. “I just have a bad feeling about it. I don’t trust it.” She looked forward at Joe’s back and then looked back at Daryl. “I don’t trust them. We should just go, just the two of us.” Why couldn’t she make him understand that?

Daryl sighed and shook his head. “It’s better in a group. You know that.” Beth frowned and nodded her head a little. She did know that, but she couldn’t help it. She had a bad feeling, deep in the pit of her stomach. Terminus was bad news. 

“Remember Woodbury?” she asked, looking up at him. “That was supposed to be a sanctuary too.”

Daryl frowned and looked at her. “What happened to there are still good people?” he asked. 

Beth shrugged her shoulders. “We’ve lost everything…I almost lost you.” 

He reached out, his fingers lacing with hers. “You’re not going to lose me.” He looked down at her. “I’m gonna keep you safe, you just have to trust me.”

“I do trust you, Daryl; I just don’t think we should go to Terminus.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s our best shot. We’ll stay a few days, just enough to make sure you’re ankle really is okay, get some food in us, then, you and I will go look for something else.”

She looked up at him. “Promise?”

He nodded his head. “Promise.”


	6. Chapter 6

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 6

Beth stuck close to Daryl as they walked inside the gates of Terminus. She didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to be anywhere near it, and the deeper they got, the closer they walked towards the smell of food, the more and more she knew this was a bad idea. Something about this place wasn’t right. If it was supposed to be so safe then where were all of the people? Why did it look like a ghost town? None of it made sense to her and she wanted to leave, but she knew Daryl wanted to stay, at least to make sure she was okay and get some food in them before they got on the road again, and she wasn’t leaving without Daryl. 

They found an older woman cooking what could have been deer on a grill. She smiled up at them. “You folks look like you’ve been traveling for a while. I’m Mary, welcome to Terminus.” She smiled and put some food on a plate, handing it to Joe. “Please, eat.”

“Looks like we have some more people.” The turned and looked as a man approached them. “Before you eat, would you mind showing me your weapons?”

“Why would we do that?” Joe asked. “For all we know you could be trying to kill us.”

The man laughed. “My name’s Gareth, I’m in charge here. It’s just a precaution, you’ll get them back.” Slowly they all laid their weapons out on the ground in front of them and Beth pressed a little closer to Daryl, not feeling safe without her knife. Gareth looked them all over before men came up behind them and started to pat them down. Beth’s eyes widened when she felt hands on her breasts and ass and she heard Daryl growl dangerously beside her. The man instantly backed off. Gareth nodded to their weapons when the pat down was done. “Welcome to Terminus.” He smiled and looked at all of them, his eyes lingering a little too long on Beth. “There are apartments inside, if it’s empty, it’s yours, also, we’ve managed to get running water, but that’s it, and I’m afraid it’s not terribly hot, but feel free to wash up.”

Daryl and Beth quickly picked up their weapons and she looked up at him. “I want to shower,” she told him. She had walker blood, her own blood, dirt, and a mess of other things all over her. She needed to get as clean as she could. 

“After we eat,” he told her. 

“I don’t mind showing you where they are, if you’d rather go now,” Gareth said, stepping forward. 

Beth shrank back against Daryl and shook her head. “I’ll wait,” she told him. 

Gareth nodded a little. “If you change your mind, just say so.” He walked off, but didn’t go far. Beth didn’t like him, didn’t trust him. 

She followed Daryl over to a table. Neither one of them ate much, they never had. They shared what Mary had given Daryl, Beth practically sitting on his lap. She knew she was probably annoying him, being so clingy, but she couldn’t help it. She looked around at some of the other people who were sitting there, eating. Something didn’t set right with her; she could feel it, deep in her gun. She frowned and ate what she could, leaving the rest for Daryl. She sighed and looked around. They needed to get out, as soon as they could. 

…

Daryl groaned as he rolled over, rubbing his eyes and pushing the blanket away from his face. He forgot how nice it was to sleep in a bed again. Beth whined and curled into his chest, trying to go back to sleep. They’d been at Terminus for about four days now, and things were going mostly okay. Daryl started to see why Beth didn’t like Gareth; he picked up on it the more the days carried on. Every chance he got, Gareth tried to separate Beth and Daryl. That wasn’t going to happen, ever. He was going to make sure she stayed safe. 

“You awake?” he asked, looking down at the mess of blonde tangles against his chest. 

“Unfortunately,” she mumbled against his chest, slowly lifting her head up and looking at him with those baby blues. “Can we leave today?” she asked. 

Daryl sighed and rested his head back against the pillows. Every day since they’d gotten to Terminus she asked the same question, first thing. Could they leave? He knew she didn’t like it here, knew she didn’t trust it, or Gareth. She was walking perfectly now, her ankle healed, and they had both gotten plenty of sleep and food. He supposed they could move on. It would make her feel better. “Yeah, we can leave.”

She smiled and climbed out of bed, quickly pulling on her sweater and boots. Daryl chuckled a bit and got up, pulling on his coat, vest, and boots. “I’ll go tell Joe, I don’t think he wants to stay here long either.” Beth sighed and nodded. “We’ll ditch them later,” he promised. He walked out of the room and went next door, knocking. Joe opened the door and looked at him. “Beth and I are going to take off today, if you wanted to come along.”

Joe sighed and nodded his head, rubbing his eye. “Yeah, reckon it’s time. We’ll meet you downstairs.”

Daryl nodded his head and looked at Beth as she walked out with their bags and his crossbow. He kissed her head, taking it from her and led her downstairs. Gareth was talking with Mary at the grill when they showed up. “Good morning,” Mary greeted them. “Breakfast?”

Daryl shook his head. “Nah, we’re good.” Daryl looked at Gareth. “We’re gonna move on today.”

“Move on?” Gareth asked, looking almost outraged at the suggestion. “I don’t understand.”

Daryl shrugged. “Ya’ll have been nice, and we appreciate it, but we need to move on, find somethin’ of our own.” He glanced behind him as Joe and his men walked up. Daryl felt a little safer having them around, something really wasn’t setting right. 

“You can’t leave.” Gareth laughed and crossed his arms. “If you leave, we’re going to run out of food.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, processing what he’d just said. “Oh god,” Beth groaned before doubling over and vomiting. Daryl felt sick as he realized what was on the grill. These people were sick, Beth had been right. They never should have come here. 

Daryl pulled his crossbow up, aiming it at Gareth. “We’re leaving.”

“No, you’re not.” Gareth smirked and took a step back. Bullets started to rain down from the sky, aiming at their feet, not their bodies. Daryl knew exactly what they were doing as he grabbed Beth’s hand and tried to make a fun for it, Joe and his boys behind him. They took shots when they could, but they were being herded, Daryl knew it. He tried to get away from it, but they had men everywhere. 

He grabbed Beth’s hand and pulled her down an alley, the bullets behind them. They were almost at the fence, Daryl could see it. They could make it out. At least, he thought they could, until he got closer to the fence and saw the men on the outside with guns pointed at them. He slowed down and came to a stop. They were surrounded. “Now, drop your weapons,” Gareth called out from behind them. They all slowly turned around and dropped their weapons. “The claimers first, one by one, head on over to that train car.”

Joe swore, but he and his men did as they were told. Lining up by the door. “Now the archer.” Beth whimpered as Daryl started to walk away from her. He growled as he walked towards the car. He hated leaving Beth. “Now the girl.” He could hear her behind him, walking slowly. He knew she wanted to run; he wanted to stop until she was beside him again. “Now, get in the car.” One by one they walked inside. Beth pressed herself against Daryl once they were inside and he held her close as the door slid shut, locking them all inside. Daryl swore under his breath as Beth shook against him. They never should have come here.


	7. Chapter 7

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 7

Daryl eyed Joe and his men as they fought over the food that had been brought in. He’d grabbed enough for him and Beth and let them have at the rest. They were starting to fall apart; their rules had been thrown out of the window. They’d been in this stupid train car for four days now. He was waiting for things to get really bad. He pulled Beth a little closer as the fighting got worse. She buried her head in his chest. Damn it, he should have listened to her, they never should have come here. He rubbed his eyes as he looked down at her. How the hell was he supposed to keep her safe now? 

“Daryl?” she asked, looking up at him. “We have to get out of here.” 

“I know.” He sighed and looked back at the fight that was starting to die down. He knew they needed to get out before they were served up to people. The only problem was that he had no idea how they were going to get out. Even if he could convince Joe to help him, they were still outnumbered and out gunned, not to mention that they seemed to have people everywhere. They wouldn’t make it five feet before they were shot. 

“Hey,” Joe called, pushing through the nearly finished fight and walking towards Daryl and Beth. Things had finally gotten worse. Daryl stood up, keeping Beth behind him as Joe eyed her. “Claiming don’t matter anymore, boy,” Joe sneered. “I think it’s about time you shared her with the rest of us.”

Daryl growled and clenched his fists. “You touch her and it’ll be the last thing you do,” he warned. 

Joe laughed and looked at him. “If you’re not going to use that piece of ass. I will.” He sucker punched Daryl and threw him over to the men. “Keep him busy.” Daryl grunted as someone drove a knee into his stomach, someone else knocking him to the ground. His eyes shot over to Beth when he heard her scream. Joe had her pinned up against the wall and was trying to kiss her. Beth wasn’t going to go down without a fight though. Daryl watched her punch Joe, scratched at his face. 

Rage tore through him when he saw Joe back hand her hard enough to split her lip and turn her around, throwing her up against the side of the train car. Tears were falling from her eyes as they locked with his. “Stupid bitch,” Joe muttered, using his body to pin her there as his hands reached around and started to work their way under her clothes. Beth kept screaming. Daryl needed to get to her, needed to keep her safe. He swore, taking a boot to the ribs. He tried to fight his way away, but there was no way they were going to let him go. He was going to end up like that fucking idiot Len. 

“What the fuck is going on in here?” The train car door slid open and Gareth walked in, men behind him with guns. The fighting stopped and Daryl coughed up blood, slowly getting to his feet as Gareth looked around and took in the situation. He walked over to Beth and gently wiped the blood from her lip. He eyed Joe carefully before grabbing one of the guns from his men. He hit Joe, hard, knocking him onto his ass before handing the gun back. He looked back at Beth. “Come on, it’s not safe for you in here.” He took her hand and started to lead her from the car. 

“No,” Beth pulled her hand away. “I’m not leaving without Daryl.”

Gareth sighed and looked at her. “I’m not taking him, but I don’t approve of rape. You’re coming with me.”

“No, I’m not.” Daryl didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight, but he didn’t want her in this car with Joe either. The bastard would kill Daryl and then have his way with Beth anyways. 

Gareth solved the problem. He punched Beth, hard enough to knock her out. Daryl growled and took a step forward but was stopped as a gun was thrust into his face. Gareth caught Beth before she could fall and picked her up in his arms. He looked over at Daryl. “Don’t worry; we try to not hurt the women, too much.” He smirked and carried her out, the door slid shut again. Daryl slid back to his side of the train car as Joe and his men settled into theirs. He prayed Beth would be alright. 

Beth woke up, alone in a room, on a bed. She rubbed her head, wishing it would stop throbbing. “You’re awake.” She looked over, eyeing Gareth as he pushed off the wall and walked towards her. She backed away from him, trying to shrink into the wall behind her. He stopped and frowned. “Honestly, Beth. I saved you from those men; do you know what they would have done? They would have killed Daryl and then raped you, one after the other, again and again and again.” He crossed his arms and shook his head. “I don’t like it when men rape women, I won’t tolerate it.”

“What does it matter, you’re just going to kill us anyways,” she snapped. She couldn’t figure this guy out and that made her more than nervous. 

He shook his head again. “The men, yes, but I’m not going to kill you. Once you’ve gotten over your probation period, you’ll be released from the room and have full range of Terminus.” He smiled a little. “We treat our women well around here.” He walked over and gently ran his hand over the bruise Joe had left on her face and the one he’d left himself. “You’ll understand sooner or later,” he told her. He kissed her head before turning and walking out, locking the door behind him. 

Beth stared at the door, more than confused and terrified. That guy was not right, there was something wrong with him, something was broken inside his head, his wires were crossed. There was no way that behavior was normal, even in an apocalypse. She looked around the room, trying to find something to use for a weapon or to pick the lock on the door. She wasn’t going to sit here and wait for him to kill Daryl and brain wash her. She was getting the hell out of here and she was going to get Daryl. They were going to get as far away from Terminus as they could.


	8. Chapter 8

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 8

Daryl glared over at the other side of the train car as Joe and his men started to fight—again—over the food that had been brought in. There wasn’t even that much left. He’d tried talking to Joe, tried to convince him to help come up with a plan to get them out, to get Beth out and get the hell out of Terminus. Joe had turned him down, his exact words had been “We’re all gonna die, deal with it.” 

Daryl sighed and rubbed his face. He needed to think of a way to get out of here and find Beth. At first he’d thought that maybe it was a good thing she wasn’t in the car but the longer he spent away from her the farther his mind wandered, picturing all of the things that could be happening to her. 

He looked up when he heard one of the men hit the ground hard. An evil smirk played on his lips as he got an idea. He didn’t need to sneak out, he could get dragged out. It was going to hurt, but it was worth it to get back to her. Daryl eased himself up from where he’d been sitting, his muscles and joints sore from sitting in one position for too long. He slowly stalked over to Joe and grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around before punching him. Joe stumbled back, his eyes going wild. He grabbed Daryl by the vest and threw him into the wall, punching him hard in the stomach. 

Daryl doubled over, the air leaving his lungs as his knees hit the floor. His plan was working though, all of the other men jumped into the fray, and Daryl covered his head as he was attacked, taking every fist, every boot, gritting his teeth as he waited. It wouldn’t be long down. He groaned as one of them kicked him, harder than usual in the ribs. He was sure he heard them break. 

The train car slid open and he could hear the cocking of guns and the bodies moved away from him. “Get him out,” Gareth ordered. Two men walked over and helped Daryl up and out of the train car. He tried to hide the smile. All he had to do now was get inside and find Beth. Once he had her again they could start working on a way out of here. “How bad is it?” Gareth asked as they led him inside. 

Daryl shook his head. “Had worse. Where’s Beth?” he asked. She was the only thing he could think about, the one thing he was holding onto. 

Gareth rolled his eyes a little as they led Daryl to a room and pushed him inside. He grunted when his weak knees hit the concrete. “Don’t you worry about her, she’s safe for now.” Gareth shut the door and heard the lock click shut. Daryl growled and looked around. Well, his plan had sort of worked. He was out of the train car, but now he needed to find Beth. 

He looked around the room. It was bare, the walls dirty and he was sure he saw mold in a corner. There was a dingy, dirty mattress on the floor with a blanket and a small table with a chair. He sighed and rubbed his face, wincing as he applied pressure to a black eye and a busted lip. He walked over to the bed and sat down before stretching his body out on it. He needed to sleep, needed to get his mind clear before he could work on an escape plan, before he could work on finding Beth. 

…

Beth pulled one of the bobby pins from her hair and crept over to the door, trying to be as quiet as a church mouse as she slid the bobby pin into the lock. If she could get out of here she could find Daryl and they could get the hell out of this place. He should have listened to her. They never should have come here. She’d heard them bring him in earlier, lead him down the hall. She had no idea where he’d been put, but he was out of the car, so that was good. 

She bit her lip, wriggling around the bobby pin in the lock. This was a lot harder than it looked in movies. She pressed her ear a little closer, trying to listen for the tumbler to give way and the door to open. She grinned when she heard the little click and slowly pulled the door open, peeking her head around to make sure no one was looking. 

When the coast was clear she slowly slipped from the room and made her way down the hall, her eyes looking for something, anything she could use for a weapon. She quickly picked up a lead pipe and dusted off the cobwebs, holding it tightly in her hand as she walked around another corner. She was trying to keep quiet but her boots clicked with every step. She started to open up door, checking rooms for Daryl. He had to be around here somewhere. 

“Hey!” Beth’s head shot up when she saw the man running at her. She didn’t wait for him to catch up to her. She took off running down the hall and quickly ducked into a room, running down the long hallway. She could hear him coming after her, bringing friends. She looked around, panic setting in. If she got caught she wasn’t going to be able to find Daryl. They’d kill her. 

She looked up when she felt water hit her cheek. Jumping up and finally being happy about growing up on a farm where you had to be strong, she pulled herself up on the rusty pipes and managed to squeeze her body between two of them, hiding from the men who were chasing her. She carefully slipped the lead pipe into her back pocket and held her breath as she heard their footsteps growing louder as they got closer. 

She released her breath when they ran right past her. Shaky and filled with nerves she rested her head against the cool pipe she was lying across. She needed to stay out of sight. She needed to find Daryl and they needed to get out. She knew she was going to need something better than a lead pipe for a weapon though. She dropped back down to her feet and started to look around for a weapon. Each time she got caught, her just hid herself again.


	9. Chapter 9

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 9

Daryl looked up at Gareth walked in. He looked pissed off and Daryl could only smirk. It had been three days since Beth had broken out and escaped and from what Daryl could read in Gareth’s eyes they couldn’t find her. She was still there, somewhere, but she was excellent and hiding, and apparently she’d killed a few people who had managed to track her down. Daryl knew she couldn’t keep it up much longer, but from the look on Gareth’s face, he didn’t. 

“What’s wrong? One little girl giving you trouble?” Daryl asked, purposefully trying to piss him off. 

“Shut up.” Gareth sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He pulled a gun and aimed it at his chest. “Get up.” Daryl slowly rose to his feet and looked at him, keeping his hands up. “You’re going to help me find her. She’ll come out for you.” Gareth forced him from the room and down the hall. “You find her; I’ll let you both leave.”

Daryl rolled his eyes as he walked down the hall. He didn’t believe that for a second. He was going to find Beth and then Gareth would kill them. He still needed to find her though. As they walked down the halls he called out to her. “Beth, gotta come out, sweetheart,” he called out. He listened for any signs of life. He tried to think like her, where would he go if he was hiding from cannibals? “Beth, I’m right here, come on out.”

“D-Daryl?” She slowly walked out from behind a wall, a knife in her hand. Daryl’s heart broke as he looked at her. She was malnourished and possibly running a fever, her body was covered in sweat and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. 

He walked over to her and slowly took the knife from her, trying to keep Gareth from seeing. If he wanted to get them out in one piece he was going to have to be smart about this. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her head. “I’m right here,” he assured her, holding her close. She froze when she heard Gareth cock the gun. That was Daryl’s cue. He flipped the knife in his hand, holding the blade and quickly turned around, throwing it and lodging it deep in Gareth’s throat. 

Daryl ran over and pulled the knife out and took the gun, not bothering to make sure Gareth couldn’t come back. He was going to leave a present for the bastards that had kept them there. He scooped Beth up into his arms and slowly, carefully made his way through the building, trying to find the best way out. The way they’d come in hadn’t looked too guarded. They could go that way. 

He tried to remember where the gate was as he clung to the shadows, holding Beth close against him. He heard screaming and knew their captors knew what happened. He decided to quit pussy-footing around and made a run for it. He barely dodged a bullet as he pushed his way through the gate and quickly took cover in the woods. He looked down at Beth, didn’t stop running, not for anything. He needed to get her somewhere safe and he needed to get her fed. Soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 10

Daryl gently set Beth down and pulled his arm across his forehead, removing the sweat that clung to his body. He’d managed to get them as far away from Terminus as he could, they were in front of what he was hoping was an empty building. He sighed and looked at Beth. “I’m gonna go clear it out,” he told her, checking her over to make sure she was okay. She nodded her head and smiled a bit. Daryl grabbed the knife he’d gotten from her and slowly walked inside, looking around. He didn’t want to make a whole lot of noise and attract anything outside, not when Beth couldn’t defend herself. Maybe he shouldn’t have left her out there. As soon as he was sure there weren’t any walkers inside he went back and picked up Beth, carrying her inside. 

He quickly found some wood and built a fire. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Need my bow,” he muttered looking around. “I’m gonna go see if I can find somethin’ to eat.” Beth nodded her head and moved a little closer to the fire, holding her hands out to warm up. Daryl sighed and stood up, kissing her head before walking back out, making sure he left the gun for her if she needed it, that, and he’d be able to hear a gun go off. 

He slowly started to move through the woods. He was going to have to be careful, quiet, and when he actually managed to find something he was going to have to make sure his aim was right on. He watched a squirrel run across his path and held the knife carefully in his hand, tracking it with his eyes. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and threw the knife, pinning the now dead animal to the tree. He managed to get three squirrels before he headed back to Beth. 

“What are we going to do?” she asked as he started to clean the squirrels. 

He sighed and looked at her. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

She shrugged her shoulders, adding a few more sticks to the fire. “Winter’s coming, we need to either prepare for it…or go south.” She took one of the squirrels he handed her and skewered it before putting it over the fire. “Whatever we do, we can’t stay here forever.”

Daryl moved closer to her once he had the other two squirrels on the fire and pulled her onto his lap. “I’ll think of something,” he told her, kissing her hair. He had her back; he was going to keep her safe. South might not be a bad idea. They’d stay warm for most of the winter, hell, they might even be able to find a boat and hang out in the ocean for a while. 

They were picking apart their dinner when the door opened. Daryl jumped up, grabbing the gun and holding it on the three people who walked in. “Told you it was people,” he girl muttered, looking at the tall man. 

“Who are you?” Daryl asked. He didn’t trust people, not anymore. Beth stood up slowly and put her hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m Abraham; this here’s Rosita and Eugene.” He put his gun down; trying to show Daryl they didn’t mean any harm. “We smelt the fire and thought maybe we could bunker down here for the night.”

“And hoping you had some food,” Rosita added. 

Daryl sighed a little as Beth put pressure on his arm to lower his gun. He didn’t understand how she could still be so damn trusting. After everything that had happened to them, it just didn’t make any sense to him. “There’s one squirrel left,” he told them, walking over to the fire, pulling Beth with him. He sat back down and pulled her back into his lap as the others joined them at the fire. 

“Who are you?” Rosita asked. 

“I’m Beth, this is Daryl,” Beth answered, adding some wood to the fire to make it bigger for their guests. 

“Where ya’ll headed?” Abraham asked as he pulled the squirrel out of the fire and handed it to Eugene who ripped a good piece off and handed it to Rosita. 

“Dunno yet,” Daryl answered. “We were thinkin’ south for the winter.”

Abraham laughed. “Like a couple of love birds?” He shook his head. “If ya’ll don’t have anywhere to go you could come to D.C. with us, we could use the extra man power.”

“What’s in D.C.?”

Abraham smirked a little. “Eugene here knows how to cure all of those godless sons of bitches walkin’ this good earth.” Beth and Daryl both turned their heads, staring at the man who was picking apart a squirrel, eyes wide and mouth open. “He’s sort of a genius.”

Beth shook her head. “You mean they can be cured?”

Eugene sighed. “Well, cure is one way to put it. They’ll go back to being human, but most of ‘em got wounds too great to keep ‘em livin’ they’ll most likely all die.”

“Could it cure our blood?” Daryl asked. 

Eugene nodded his head. “It should.”

Beth looked up at him, hope renewed in both of their eyes, something they hadn’t felt in a long time. She nodded her head slowly. Daryl looked up at Abraham. “We’re in.”


	11. Chapter 11

Last Ones Standing   
Chapter 11

Beth curled up next to Daryl at the fire; they were on one side, Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene on the other. While Beth had been willing to go with them, she kept a knife in her hand almost constantly and she never strayed too far away from Daryl. She was slowly starting to trust them to where she felt comfortable around them, but Daryl was just happy enough that she hadn’t completely lost her mind. He played with her hair absentmindedly as they talked. 

“So you were in the army?” Beth asked, looking at Abraham. 

He nodded his head. “That’s right, I was a Sargent.” He finished the little food they’d had for the night. “I was in the army, Rosita here,” he paused, frowning, “girl, what the hell did you do?” Rosita just shrugged her shoulders and curled herself closer to the fire, ignoring her boyfriend. Abraham sighed, shrugging her off. “Eugene here was a science teacher.”

Beth frowned a little. “How does a science teacher know how to cure the walkers when the CDC couldn’t even figure it out?” she asked. That didn’t make any sense to her. 

Eugene shrugged. “I’m smart, just because I was teaching at a high school doesn’t mean I don’t know anything.” 

Beth sighed a little. It did if he’d been at the school she’d gone to. Half of the students knew more than the teachers, but it’d been a small town whose main goal had been getting the crops in, not teaching the kids. “What about you two?” Abraham asked. “We’ve told you our story, what we did before the turn, where we came from, how we’ve survived. You two haven’t said much though.”

Beth looked back at Daryl. He sighed and nodded his head a little. Abraham had a point. And they’d spent a week with him, it seemed like they could trust them. Beth looked into the fire. “Daryl was with a group of people before we met. One of the hands that lived with my family and I shot a little boy on accident and that’s how they ended up on my daddy’s farm. We all lived there for a while until a herd forced us out.” She purposefully skipped over the part where her daddy had been keeping walkers in the barn. 

“We circled around from house to house all winter.” Daryl picked up. “We found a prison and cleaned it out. We had a sizable group at one point, forty of us or so.” He wrapped his arms a little tighter around Beth, the memories attacking them both. “We got attacked and everyone died.”

“Everyone?” Rosita asked. “There were that many of you and they all died?”

Beth nodded her head. “We weren’t attacked by walkers, we were attacked by people.”

“They had a tank.” Daryl sighed and kissed Beth’s hair. “We managed to get out and were on our own for a while. Then someone kidnapped Beth and I ended up with some psychos.”

“If you were kidnapped, how’d you get away?” Abraham asked. 

Beth shrugged her shoulders. “They said they were saving me, thought it would make it okay and I wouldn’t try to run. As soon as they fell asleep I left. I met back up with Daryl and then we ended up at Terminus.”

Eugene nodded. “We saw some signs for that place.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t go there,” Daryl told him. “They’re fucking sick.”

Abraham looked at the two of them, curled up with each other in front of the fire. “What about you two, what is this?” he asked. 

Beth blushed a little and looked up at Daryl. He sighed and shook his head. “Don’t know,” he answered honestly. He didn’t know what was going on between him and Beth, all he knew was that he couldn’t live without her. They turned in for the night after that and Beth curled close to Daryl, tonight the first night she didn’t sleep with a knife in her hand. 

…

Beth rolled her head on her shoulders as they stopped for the day. They were getting closer to D.C. every day but she would be happy when they actually found a vehicle big enough for all of them. Abraham dropped his bag and looked at Daryl. “Hunting?” he asked. 

Daryl slung his new crossbow they’d found and nodded his head before turning to look at her. “You gonna be okay?” he asked. They were warming up to this new group, but they were still careful. 

Beth nodded her head. “Yeah, should be.” She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Be careful.” He nodded his head before walking off. She looked at Rosita. “I’ll go get some firewood.” 

Rosita nodded her head. “I’ll start looking around, see if there’s anything we can use.”

Beth nodded and pulled her knife out as she started to walk around, collecting wood. She hadn’t been at it long before she heard Rosita calling for her. Beth dropped the wood in her arms and tore back to camp. Walkers had found them and Rosita was trying to hold them off as best as she could while still trying to keep Eugene safe. Beth pulled her knife out and pulled the closest walker down to the ground, stabbing it in the head. “Eugene put the gun down,” Rosita screamed at him. 

Beth ran over, swearing, and got on the other side of Eugene, putting him between herself and Rosita. “Eugene, listen to her and put the gun down.” Thankfully, he did as they said as Beth and Rosita handled the walkers. There weren’t that many of them, but they seemed ravenous and more aggressive than usual. If Beth had to guess they hadn’t eaten in a while. Beth grabbed one that was coming at her and stabbed it, using her boot on its chest to throw it back and pull her knife back out. 

She grunted as she killed another one and tossed it to the side. She risked a glance at Rosita to make sure she didn’t need help. Beth was thrilled that Daryl had managed to find another crossbow, but she really wanted to silencers for their guns. It would make killing walkers so much easier. She cried out as a walker pulled her to the ground. “Beth!”

“I got it,” she called out, not wanting to distract Rosita. She kicked the walker in the head, over and over again until the brain smashed at it released her ankle. She quickly got back up and ran over to Rosita who was trying to keep two walkers away at once. Beth pulled one away and kicked it to the ground as Rosita killed the other. Beth climbed on top if it and drove her knife deep into its head. 

“Looks like we missed a party.” Beth looked over to see Daryl and Abraham walking back. They surveyed the situation and Abraham nodded. “Nice work ladies.”

Beth rolled her eyes and got up, wiping her hands on her jeans as Daryl walked over. “You okay?” he asked, looking her over. 

She smiled and nodded. “Yeah I’m fine.” He nodded and they got back to work on setting up camp. Beth sat down and rolled her head on her neck, trying to loosen up the muscles. She couldn’t wait to get to D.C.


	12. Chapter 12

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 12

“Son of a bitch!” Abraham threw his knife, embedding it into the dirt as they looked out over the city. They’d been hoping to find some kind of government, or at the very least some people. But all they saw was destruction and walkers. 

“Now what the hell are we supposed to do?” Rosita asked, looking at her boyfriend. 

“We still need to get to the white house.” Eugene looked at Abraham. “That’s where the lab is.”

Abraham ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “How the hell do you plan on doing that? The city is crawling with those dead sons of bitches.”

“We clear it out,” Beth interjected. She looked over at Daryl. “Just like the prison.”

Daryl nodded his head slowly, looking over at the white house in the distance. It could work. It wasn’t as big as the prison, didn’t have as many dark hallways. “We could.” He looked at Abraham. “It wouldn’t be that hard, we all go in, together, in a tight circle and move from room to room.”

Abraham sighed and looked at their destination. They all knew that if there was any hope of saving humanity they were going to have to go in. He nodded his head. “Alright, but we wait until tomorrow, it’s too late in the day to do it today.”

“Then we should see what supplies we can get.” Rosita opened up the car door and pulled out a map. “We’re running low.”

They looked over the map and decided the best places to hit. Daryl wasn’t exactly sure how it happened, but Beth had gone with Abraham and Eugene while he went with Rosita. Daryl chewed on his short nails as he drove to the first top. He knew Rosita was watching him, getting ready to ask him something. As he drove he was a bit surprised to see that there weren’t as many walkers as he’d thought there would be. He figured most of them had migrated out of the city, looking for more food. He stopped the car in front of a small grocery store and grabbed his crossbow, thankful to have one again, and climbed out. 

“Can I ask you something?” Rosita asked as they walked inside, quickly looking for walkers. 

“You’re gonna regardless,” he muttered as he started looking through the shelves when they didn’t find any walkers. 

“Do you love her?”

Daryl stopped for half a second before he started looking for food again. Out of all the things Rosita could have asked him, he hadn’t been expecting that. He thought about it carefully. Did he love Beth, or did he just think he did because she was the only one left? He knew he would fall apart if he lost her. he knew there had been a pain in his chest since she’d gone with Abraham. He knew he loved her smile and could get lost in her storm blue eyes. He sighed a little and nodded his head. “Yeah, I think I do.”

Rosita smiled a little as they continued to move over the shelves, grabbing whatever they could. “You ever going to tell he?”

Daryl sighed. “Eventually.” He didn’t know if that was a lie or not. He did love Beth, there was no denying that, but did he tell he? If she didn’t feel the same it would make things awkward between them and he wasn’t sure if he could handle that. They quickly finished looking through what was left on the shelves before heading back to the car. There was only one things Daryl knew for sure. He loved Beth and he was going to make sure nothing happened to her ever again. 

…

Beth sighed as she walked down the nearly empty shelves grabbing what she could. She was happy they’d finally made it to the city, and soon Eugene would be able to start working on a cure. But once the walkers were going, she wasn’t sure what any of them were going to do. She tossed a can of beans into her bag with a sigh. 

“What’s the matter?” Abraham asked, walking up behind her. “Missing lover boy?”

Beth rolled her eyes a little. “We’re not lovers,” she pointed out. Even if she did want them to be. 

“Don’t see why not, you love each other, don’t you?” He led them out of the store and they tossed their supplies into the truck. 

She shrugged as she climbed in after Eugene. “I do, yeah, but I don’t know about Daryl.” It was hard to read him most of the time. He was always so guarded. She couldn’t deny that they got closer every day. He would hold her in his arms and kiss her hair, hold her close while they slept, but did that mean he loved her? Or was it just because they were the only two left from their family? 

Abraham looked at her as they pulled up to the next stop on their hunt for supplies. “Well if that’s the case I’d tell him soon if I were you. Life is too damn short now.” He shut off the truck and climbed out. 

“He has a point,” Eugene said looking at her. 

Beth sighed and climbed out of the truck. She knew they were right. She should tell Daryl how she felt, but she didn’t know if he could. If he didn’t feel the same? She didn’t think she’d he able to live with the rejection. She would rather have him as a friend than not at all. She followed Eugene into the store and she and Abraham made quick work of the walkers lurking there before they kept gathering supplies.


	13. Chapter 13

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 13

Beth tightened her grip on the knife as they approached the door of the white house, Daryl leading since he was the only one who had done this before. Beth was behind him followed by Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita in the back. Their formation would change into a tight circle once they were inside. Beth was hoping that there weren’t too many walkers. She wasn’t afraid, but she wasn’t as strong as the others and since Eugene couldn’t fight, they already had to protect him. She didn’t want to be an extra burden to the group. 

Daryl reached out and grabbed the door knob before turning to look at her over his shoulder. “You ready for this?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’m ready.” She nodded her head and got her knife ready. Daryl nodded and turned back to the door, slowly, quietly opening it. The plan was to stay as quiet as possible. If they could get the jump on the walkers, it would make their lives a million times easier. Daryl led them inside and they quickly formed a circle, keeping Eugene safely tucked away in the center of it. 

Daryl veered off towards the right, heading towards the west wing of the house. Beth stayed close, feeling a little better having Daryl on one side of her and Abraham on the other. Even though Abraham’s main concern was Eugene, it still made her feel better, plus Abraham knew the complete layout of the white house from top to bottom, so that was a little comforting too. 

Abraham directed Daryl to the press offices. There were only a few walkers. Daryl shot one and Beth rushed another, nailing it in the head. Abraham killed the other. They quickly got back into their tight formation. The swimming pool was next and very empty, even though the pool looked like an algae infested pond. They moved from room to room, killing every walker, and it was easier than Beth had thought it was going to be. As long as they kept quiet the walkers were unaware and they were able to sneak up on them and kill them instead of trying to deal with a mob of ravenous walkers. 

It didn’t take them long to clear the first floor. Abraham suggested going up stairs next. It was the better option than going down since the walkers couldn’t get up the stairs. Everyone agreed and made their way up the stairs. 

…

By the time they’d finished cleaning out every room of the white house the sun was gone and it was too late to do much of anything else. Abraham sighed and wiped his face on an old shirt that had been ripped apart into rags. “We can’t do anything else tonight.”

Daryl nodded and hung his crossbow over his shoulder. “We can burn the bodies in the morning.”

“The kitchens didn’t have any walkers, and I saw some food,” Beth added. 

“Good, because I’m starving.” Rosita led everyone towards the kitchens. 

Beth smiled at Daryl as they followed. She couldn’t believe that they were actually here and that they’d been able to actually clear out the white house. They were still alive, even after everything that had happened, everything that they’d been through, they were still alive. Beth and Rosita started looking through the pantry to see what was left while Daryl and Abraham rigged up an indoor campfire for them to cook on.

“So what do you think?” Rosita asked as they loaded up a few cans of beans. 

“What do I think about what?” Beth asked. 

Rosita smiled a bit. “We’re living in the white house.”

Beth laughed a little. “I know. It’s kind of surreal. I honestly never thought I’d leave Georgia.” They started back towards the kitchen. 

“Will you ever go back?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, there’s not a lot left for me there anymore.” Daryl and Abraham looked up as the girls walked back into the kitchen. Beth gave Daryl a wink as they put the cans on the table. 

“What are you two talking about?” Abraham asked as he started opening up the cans. 

“What we’ll do once Eugene manages to take care of all of the walkers.” Rosita sat beside Abraham and cleaned out one of the pots Eugene had found. “What about you Daryl? What are you going to do?”

Beth looked at Daryl as he shrugged and shifted a little awkwardly. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Probably go wherever Beth does.” Beth blushed as he looked at her and gave her a wink. She liked the thought of that. Going wherever Daryl went, always being with him. She looked at her lap as she sat beside him, trying to hide her blush. They talked all through dinner until Beth started yawning. Daryl wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her up from the chair. “Let’s get you to bed.” Beth giggled when Daryl picked her up and carried her out of the room. 

“Where are we going?” she asked, looking at him. 

“Dunno, we’ll find an empty room somewhere, not all of them had walkers in them.” He smirked down at her as he nearly vaulted up the stairs and carried her down the hall. He shifted her weight in his arms until he got one of them free and opened up one of the doors. He looked around, checking for blood. When he didn’t see any, just a clean room with a lot of dust, he carried her inside and over to the bed, dropping her onto the mattress, Beth laughed as she bounced. 

“What’s gotten into you tonight?” she asked, leaning up on her arms looking up at him. He shrugged and pulled his jacket off of his arms, letting it fall to the floor. Beth bit her lip, licking her lips as he climbed onto the bed. She watched him as he climbed over her. 

“I want you,” he told her. “You gonna stop me?” Beth shook her head. “Good.” He dipped his head and kissed her, pulling her against him. Beth moaned into the kiss as he started to push her clothes off. Beth didn’t know where this was going to lead to, but she wasn’t going to stop it.


	14. Chapter 14

Last Ones Standing  
Chapter 14

Beth sighed as she pulled her tangled mess of hair back and tied it off. She couldn’t wait until they got a day to relax. Yesterday had been all about killing all of the walkers that had been living in the White House. Today, she and Rosita would be going on a run for supplies, Abraham and Daryl would be dragging the dead bodies outside to the huge metal dumpsters and burning them, and Eugene would be working away in the lab with what equipment he had. 

Daryl was nervous about he going out without him, but she’d promised him they’d be okay and would stay away from anything they couldn’t handle. They all had jobs to do. Hers was going on a run, his was burning dead bodies. 

She walked outside and met Rosita in the truck they’d be taking. The boys were waiting by the gate to let them out. “Ready?”

Beth nodded and climbed into the passenger’s seat, more than happy to let Rosita handle the driving. They pulled out, waving to Daryl and Abraham as they drove through the gates. The ride was quiet for a while, Rosita concentrating on driving, trying to maneuver her way through all of the debris, and Beth lost inside her own head, thinking about everything that had happened and wondering what was going to happen next. 

“So, other than family and friends, what do you miss the most?” Rosita asked as she pulled up to a Walmart. Hopefully they’d be able to find everything they needed inside and wouldn’t have to waste gas driving around the whole city. 

Beth sighed as she climbed out of the truck and waited for Rosita to meet her. “I don’t know, probably a nice hot shower.” She smiled a little, thinking back to life before the turn as they headed inside. Maggie used to get so mad at Beth because she’d use up all of the hot water at night, leaving Maggie to either wait, take a cold shower, or go to be sweaty and dirty. “What about you? What do you miss?”

Rosita grinned a bit as they each stuck a pry bar into the automatic doors and forced them open. “I miss Netflix.” They pulled the doors open and walked in, looking through the second pair for walkers, tapping on the glass. “I didn’t even own a TV, just a laptop with internet. It drove Abraham crazy because he couldn’t watch his sports when he came over.”

When the coast looked clear, the girls pried open the second set of doors and walked inside, each grabbing a cart and dozen fabric Walmart bags. “You know, Eugene did say he was going to have to get the power running again before he could start working on the cure.”

Rosita looked at her as they turned down the canned food isle and started filling their bags. “Yeah, so what?”

Beth grinned as she quickly filled the first of hopefully many bags. “So, that means how water, and movies.”

Rosita quickly caught on. “Okay, we grab everything we can that we need, food, water, and we clean out the back of the store, then we get a few luxuries.”

“Deal.”

The girls made quick work of the isles, quickly filling all of their bags, and carts. Rosita went back and grabbed ten more carts, grunting as she pushed them back to where she and Beth had left off while Beth grabbed a cart and made her way down the checkout stations, grabbing all of the fabric bags, and the plastic ones. It wasn’t usual to find so much food still left on the shelves but the girls figured that the city had emptied quickly and anyone with half a brain knew to stay away from the cities. Whatever the reason was, they weren’t complaining. 

Once they’d cleaned everything they could off the shelves, already filling three of their carts, they headed to the employee only area where everything the store didn’t have on the shelves was stored. 

“How much do you think is back here?”

Rosita shrugged as they opened the doors and looked around. Neither one of them could honestly believe what they were seeing. There were stacks of cans and boxes of food, still bundled together in plastic, and at least one hundred jugs of drinking water. “We need to find a semi-truck.” 

Beth nodded, to shocked to really say anything. By the time the girls had finished loading up their truck, and the semi-truck they’d found in the loading bay with enough gas to get them back to the White House they had enough food to last them at least a year, enough water for at least half that, clothes, a ton of knives they’d found, toiletries for when Eugene got the water going, a new plasma, DVD player, a cart of DVDs, and another cart of books, a new stereo, and cart of CDs. Beth looked in the rear view mirror at Rosita who was driving the semi-truck. Rosita waved, letting Beth know she was ready to go. Beth smiled and shook her head and pulled out of the Walmart parking lot and headed back towards the White House. 

…

Daryl grunted, hoisting the dead body up the half of the ladder he was standing on and tossed it over the dumpster, letting it fall inside with the other bodies. He grabbed his old rag from his back pocket and wiped the sweat off of his face. “We done yet?” 

Abraham chuckled and grabbed another body from the wheelbarrow and lifted it up to him. “Almost. This is the last batch.” Daryl sighed and took the body and threw it into the dumpster. “So have you given any thought to what you’re going to do when this is all over?”

Daryl glanced at him as he grabbed the lighter fluid. “Didn’t we have this discussion last night?”

“Yeah, you said you’d go with Beth.” Abraham handed him the last body. “But seriously, you can’t just wander around aimlessly.”

“And I supposed you know what I should be doing?” Daryl took the matches from him and struck one, tossing it into the dumpster, watching as it quickly caught fire. 

“I do,” Abraham held the ladder steady as Daryl climbed down. “Once all of these godless sons of bitches are gone, there’s going to need to be some form of government. People are gonna look for a leader.”

“That gonna be you?” Daryl crossed his arms, watching the fire. 

“Us, Daryl, that’s gonna be us.” Abraham sighed, running a hand over his short hair. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Beth too. We need people like that to get this country back on the right track.”

Daryl looked at Abraham. There was no doubt in his mind that he couldn’t be a good leader for this country, hell he’d probably make it better than it’d ever been, but Daryl wasn’t a huge fan of government, or being the center of attention. “I’ll think about it.”

Abraham nodded, but didn’t press the matter. He didn’t have much of a choice when they heard they girls coming back. They hurried to the gates and opened them, staring as Beth drove in with a truck bed full of supplies, followed by Rosita driving a semi-truck. 

“What the hell is all of this?” Daryl demanded as Beth climbed out of the truck. 

She grinned, walking over to him and tossing him a pack of cigarettes. “We cleaned out Walmart.”


End file.
